Letter: Says Obama can restore international respect

Michele BovaSt. Augustine

Published Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Editor: What does $600 billion-plus for a war that was not needed in the first place and $700 billion-plus for an economic bailout that would not have been necessary if regulations already on the books been enforced, equal?

Both presidential candidates agree that the answer is the need for change. The question then is which of the two will provide new policies that will work?

On Iraq, will it be U.S. Sen. Barack Obama who talks about orderly withdrawal and shifting the financial burden to the oil rich Iraqi treasury? Or, will it be U.S. Sen. John McCain who talks about staying until we "win"?

On the economy, will it be Obama, who has been talking about regulation of our financial markets for years or McCain who has just discovered the word in the dictionary?

President Bush's failed policies on Iraq and on the U.S. economy have had devastating effects on this country which are now spilling over to the rest of the world. I am one of more than 300 former career diplomats with long experience in the conduct of U.S. national security strategy under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

We are calling on fellow voters to support Obama. We strongly believe that he has the qualities needed to restore the international respect and leadership we once enjoyed, the capacity to make bipartisanship possible again, and the judgment and vision to set our nation on the path to a better future.